Merritt is an English surname and place name, usually explained as "boundary gate" from the Old English maere, boundary, and geat, gate, although it is naturally read today as the word "merit". It belongs to the group of tailored surname names like Marlowe, Sloane and Palmer that are now in fashion for girls. Merritt ranked number 4256 in the United States in 2000 and number 1410 in 2024, then jumped into the top 1000 for the first time in 2025 at number 703.